Category Archives: Europe

Tableaux Vivants

Posted on January 19, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Due to Covid curfews, a group of French librarians used their free time to recreate book related paintings in a series of amusing tableaux vivants. très drôle The entire album can be viewed on Calameo .  

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Amsterdam Says No To Overtourism

Posted on January 15, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Amsterdam has long been one of my favorite cities in the world, but on recent visits I have been put off by the sheer volume of tourists. The notoriously tolerant residents of the city seem to have finally had enough … Continue reading →

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Trees and books, books and trees

Posted on January 7, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Yvan Guillo, aka Samplerman, aka Yvang, is a French cartoonist and artist. He started publishing comics in the early nineties and has never stopped. He recently created some children’s comic books at the éditions “Le Moule à Gaufres”. Guillo also … Continue reading →

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Three and the Moon

Posted on January 5, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I recently stumbled upon this amazing title with mind-blowing illustrations by Boris Artzybasheff . The artist was a Russian refugee who arrived penniless in the U.S. after the Russian Revolution. He spent the next four decades creating illustrations for popular … Continue reading →

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Wild in Scotland

Posted on January 4, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Way back around the turn of the century I had the opportunity to spend quite a bit of time in Scotland. While I have great affection for Edinburgh and Glasgow, the true treasure of the country is to be found … Continue reading →

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The Good Kind of Flood

Posted on December 22, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

If you follow TBTP on a regular basis you are well aware of my tremendous affection for Iceland and all things Icelandic. One of the most surprising things about the island nation is the love of books and reading. In … Continue reading →

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Within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary

Posted on December 20, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Hermann Hesse : “This day will never come again and anyone who fails to eat and drink and taste and smell it will never have it offered to him again in all eternity. The sun will never shine as it … Continue reading →

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Bookmarking it old school

Posted on December 19, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

How to use a medieval bookmark: 1.) Read. 2.) Spin the volvelle to mark where on the page you stopped reading (I-IV correspond to different sections on the page. 3.) Close book. 4.) Repeat as necessary. By the way, the … Continue reading →

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Old Nieuw Amsterdam

Posted on December 15, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

I come from two old New York City families, but not nearly as old as these 17th century views of the city when it was still the Dutch  West India Company’s colony of Nieuw Amsterdam. Published in 1651, the image … Continue reading →

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The Nature of Middle-Earth

Posted on December 6, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

H/T to faithful reader Bonnie B. for this post Fans of the Tolkien Universe will be happy to hear that a veritable treasure of unpublished writings from J.R.R. Tolkien will be released this coming June by HaperCollins. Titled “The Nature … Continue reading →

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